Changed
by kit-scagliotti
Summary: AU. It was he who made himself older. He only wanted to help. Even if it meant that he would harm himself, however unintentionally. T for slight read microscopic  violence


**Authors Note: **** Hi! Okay I had the idea that maybe Tails should have been the one to make himself older. I understand that this completely ruins the whole Sonamy thing, but oh well! Guess there is good in every story ;) Well I hope you enjoy this story. I think I may make it into a two shot, but it may be fine as it is. I'll see how I feel XD**

**Usual disclaimers apply **

He sometimes wondered if what he did was the right thing. Why he could not have just waited those few extra years, now that he was equal to his peers he felt less and less like it actually meant something.

He sighed and gave the nut a further twist with the wrench, tightening it a final time. But then he would think of all the good he had done because of his choice, he was stronger, more agile and his mechanical ingenuity had almost tripled. He could finally be of use to his full potential.

He could still remember that day when he made the leap.

_Twirling his twin tails he put on a final burst of speed, he had to beat Amy there! He had overhead her talking to herself and what she had suggested was truly brilliant! He would finally be able to help, finally be able to help his big brother to his fullest extent! Sonic would no longer have to worry about his constant safety and neither would he be stuck behind the battle scene or knocked to the ground by a stronger, more developed adversary._

_He reached the door and twisted the bronze handle. He just had to find it in the few minutes before Amy got here. He glanced around the room. Swords on the wall, crowns and jewels on glass cases and a chest to the right side of the room, since he could not see it in the in the glass cases logic dictated that it would be in the chest. He walked over to it, mulling over the weight of what he was about to do. He shook his head, it was the only way._

_The chest lock clicked as he opened the lid. A curious light filled the crack and set a pale glow against his chest fur. Closing his eyes he pushed open the lid the rest of the way. Looking down he saw it; flawless facets refracting and reflecting a million varieties of clear perfection. It was slightly warm to his touch and felt like it was vibrating, tingling almost in a sense of anticipation. He lifted it up out of the chest, countless of his blue eyes looked back at him daring them to finish this. _

_He closed his eyes. "I wish that I could be a year younger than Sonic, so that I could be more helpful in the fight against Robotnik."_

"_-Tails? What do you think you're doing? That was my plan!" Was the last thing he heard before the world shifted. The gem felt as if it had vibrated into those million pieces that had disappeared from his hand. He fell forward onto his knees as his muscles and bones went through the rapid process of aging. His brain created new pathways as his sense of understanding and processing increased. While staring at the floor it felt as though he felt those years pass yet when he stood up Amy was standing frozen in the doorway... Along with Prince Elias. _

"_What have you done?" Elias had almost screamed. "How could you have done this?"_

"_I am sorry your highness, I did not know that you intended to use the gem." He had replied, trying to hide the shock at his slightly deeper voice. _

"_Whoa! Little bro... Is that you?" Came the recognisable voice of someone very special to him._

_He grinned, looking at his older brother in all but blood. It was strange looking at him at his eye level._

"_I was trying to help Sonic! I feel so useless sometimes; I'm always the one to get captured or hurt or to stay behind! I want to do my fair share!"_

_Silence greeted his ears._

"_I'm sorry Sonic, I didn't mean to upset anyone, I just wanted to help." He suddenly felt ashamed, he looked at Amy."I'm really sorry Amy." He could feel his ears drooping and he cast his eyes on the floor._

"_Hey, don't beat yourself up Tails; I think I can understand what you were thinking. It's okay." Sonic stepped forward and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Come on Ames, let's go get some ice cream huh?" She followed him out the door, eager to get some ice cream with the man of her dreams._

_The same silence filled the room again when they left. Elias stared at him and he felt awkwardness like he had never experienced. "You know, I think I understand exactly where you are coming from. You feel as if you're never doing the best you could and it's frustrating. It's like you are just not good enough and can't live up to the expectations set for you by everyone else." _

_Tails knew that he wasn't talking about him at all. Elias was battling his own demons, adjusting to the life of a prince when one did not have any upbringing towards it must be a major adjustment. _

Tails shook the memory clear from his head. That had been quite a while ago. He still blushed at the memory of the first time he saw himself in the mirror. His chest fur thicker tufts on the ends of his ears, the increased length of his twin tails and the increase in height he had received. Better yet had been Tails' first flight as his older self, he was faster and able to fly higher and the nimble moves he had been able to perform. The exhilaration had never completely worn off.

He still grinned at the fun Sonic and he got up to. The races and training sessions together had been a challenge pushing him to use the new muscles that had formed. Sadly it was not all fun and games, however much his body had aged, he was still the twelve year old inside. When he finally plucked up the courage, he asked Fiona out again. She still said no and it had hurt even more when she said no because she preferred Sonic. He was still ashamed for attacking his brother like that.

He grew up the most when Sonic disappeared for that terrible year. Those days spent at his island building new technology for the war against Robotnik was when he did the most thinking and understanding. There were some dark days then, when he would cry his heart out because the pain was just too great to rationally deal with. But he was strong for those around him, even if they could see through the facade that he put up for them. He had doubled his attacks, feeling for the first time that the other Freedom Fighters appreciated his new older age. He could never have filled that void, but he helped even more than he would have if he was younger.

It was mainly what he had done in Sonic's absence. What he had been forced to do during that year long absence. He had constructed his first firearm out on that island. He had practised for hours getting ain just right. He had a course set up that allowed him to practice shooting at the speeds that he flew at. It was when he went on a mission that he had actually used the firearm for the first time. It was almost addictive the power he felt destroying the SWATbots, a rush that he began craving as he threw himself into more and more missions. What he could not have predicted was his reaction to the traitor he had discovered and tracked to Robotnik's lair. When he caught up with that lying duck, he could not contain his rage; he had released a flurry of bullets into the duck, missing the heart so that he could deliver his final message of hate as the duck died in excruciating agony. No, he was not a good hero like Sonic.

Tails focused again on what he was building. It was a pulse device that shorted out electrical devices temporarily, it could be used against SWATbots to immobilise them. Not that Sonic would need it; he grinned. But for those who did not have super speed, it could be a big help.

Amy had never quite fully forgotten what he had done. In her eyes, he had taken away her true love. He wondered that even if she had been the one to get her wish, she would ever understand that Sonic's heart belonged to someone else. It was not as though she was going to be unattractive, it was simply that Sonic felt that he would never be able to equal the emotions that she felt for him and both Sonic and himself knew she deserved better. Julie-Su had been training her with her hammer and she was quite the destructive aid on the battlefield.

He still felt isolated from time to time, like they would never accept him for what he had done to himself. Sonic would tell him it is all in his head and on days when he was feeling confidant he knew that it was true. It was still a constant, niggling thing. A fear like the dark secret he carried inside.

"Little Bro, you coming?" Tails snapped out of his reverie. Sonic was waiting for him, they had a mission briefing and then the two of them had a solo mission to complete. "Coming!" came his bright reply. He would always be happy for Sonic, knowing that he could never harm his brother. Sonic went downstairs and Tails strapped his new invention to his wrist, he could never use it. He could never use it because there was an all too familiar weight in one of the pouches on his belt. That weight could do so much more damage.

**I hope you enjoyed that as it was AU and let's face it... AU is not always that amazing. **** I hope that you have a good day/night/eve/morning! (Delete where applicable)**

**Kit **


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